A place called “Beer City” should have plenty of bars, and does, but what about microbreweries? Across America, craft beer is more sought after than ever, with the number of such breweries rising by 704, or 16 percent, in 2016, growing the thirst-quenching total to 5,234 craft brewers.

Milwaukee is doing its best to keep up with the trend, welcoming a dozen new microbreweries and brewpubs in the last year or so.

Craft beer is handmade by working class people in your neighborhood. There’s a lot of love that goes into making craft beer that isn’t always found in macro-breweries. The experience of a microbrewery is about more than supporting local, it’s about giving each guest a shot at creating their own individual experience rather than being led through one.

And the great variety of beers and tastes you’ll encounter make that pretty easy to accomplish. There’s a lot of care and creativity that goes into making local craft beer, as you’ll discover if try just one microbrewery. And once you try one, you may want to try them all. The list of Milwaukee’s newest microbreweries includes:

Black Husky Brewing: Tucked into the Riverwest neighborhood at 909 E. Locust St., lies Black Husky Brewing. It is an open-spaced environment that’s the ideal spot for an afternoon brew with familiar faces. Their tap variation is pleasing for those who love IPA’s and Pale Ales, with a few beers like pilsners and milk stouts available, too. With their handmade log bar and minimal decor, Black Husky offers no gimmicks, just a peaceful time that salutes what neighborhood breweries should be about. Not to mention they’re dog-friendly. Nothing screams easy-going atmosphere like being able to imbibe while bonding with your furry sidekick.

Broken Bat Brewing Co., LLC: Nestled into the lively and commercial Historic Third Ward at 231 E. Buffalo St. is a brewery that is a little different from the fleet that have opened recently. Their beers keep you on your toes with unique flavors like their Apricot IPA or Mint Condition porter. With an “underground” location, this baseball-themed bar makes you feel like you’re in a real dugout. It’s sports-themed without feeling like a sports bar, but offers just as much camaraderie.

City Lights Brewing Co. For a brewery with a creative use of space try this brewery located at 2210 W. Mount Vernon Ave. This spot uses their building’s natural elements mixed with modern designs to create a cozy environment that’s perfect for sipping a beer. While they’re still getting their footing with their beer expansion, their brown and amber ale are not to be missed. They offer a small, affordable “tailgate mini-menu” that offers ball-park-type snacks that are perfect before taking their shuttle to Miller Park.

Eagle Park Brewing: Located rather inconspicuously in an old warehouse at 2018 S. 1st St. in Bay View, this brewery acts as a fun speak-easy, where a buzzer will lead you to their small, cozy taproom. Founded by two brothers, their small-batch beer list is creative with their kiwi wheat, nitro loop station, saison and mandarina APA brews. There’s no denying the personality and creativity behind this new brewery. For those looking for that somewhat quirky spot to hide away and micro-indulge, this is without a doubt the brewery for you.

Enlightened Brewing: Located in the historic Lincoln Warehouse in Bay View at 2018 S. 1st St. lies this relatively new corner brewery. Their tap list expands from cream ales and porters to their seasonal beers and limited releases. Looks like they’re always trying to mix up the ingredients with their tap list. While the space itself isn’t large, the high ceilings make it feel more spacious, and the building is arranged in a friendly and welcoming way.

1840 Brewery Co.: Bay View’s newest brewery, at 342 E. Ward St., is dramatically different than the other breweries in town not only because of its saison-only brew options, but because (for the time being) this new addition is only open to the public once a month. Owner Kyle Vetter explains this is due to its slow, tasteful farmhouse brewing method, and as a strategy to keeping things small and savory. There are 100 memberships available for purchase if you’re itching to be an exclusive part of the growth of this small gem.

Gathering Place Brewing Company: One of Milwaukee’s newest brew additions, located at 811 E. Vienna Ave., in Riverwest. They have eight beers on tap: Treffpunkt, Spirited Debate IPA, Heated Debate IIPA, Three Linden Belgian Tripel, Gruss Gott Hefeweizen, Dom German Pale Ale, Priere Belgian Single, and Stor Bjorn Norwegian Farmhouse IPA. They have gotten the neighborhood’s attention with their recent grand opening and their strides towards community outreach and engagement.

Good City: Located on Milwaukee’s vibrant East Side at 2108 N. Farwell Ave. is a quickly growing brewery and restaurant. Co-founder and Brewmaster Andy Jones is a graduate of the prestigious UC David Master Brewers Program, and a recent winner of Brewing News’ National Imperial IPA Championship for his Reward Double IPA. That being said, IPAs and pale ales lead their tap list, so if you’re looking for a industrial-chic environment to enjoy a slow-sipper, this is a great destination for you. The brewery is seasonal-friendly with a fireplace for the winter and garage door windows for the summer. They have a full menu provided by Australian chef Guy Davies, which offers Taproom snacks, brew food, full plates, desert and brunch.

Like Minds Brewing: For saisons, farmhouse ales, and an unpredictable time, this brewery located at 833 E. Hamilton St. may be the place for you. Upon walking in you can see an assortment of barrels tucked into the corner, welcoming all those who crave a little barrel-aged beer. It’s hard to miss owner and head brewer John Lavelle behind the bar discussing barrel-aging or leading an impromptu experiment using liquid nitrogen and coffee beans.

MobCraft: If you like variety, by all means try this brewery located at 505 S. 5th St. in Walker’s Point. With 25 taps on sight, they offer a tasteful variety that range from coffee brown ales to grapefruit beers and double chocolate stouts. The place is spacious, with exposed beams and concrete floors, giving it an authentic urban feel. MobCraft stays competitive by making wildly specific beer styles with somewhat obscure ingredients, acting as one of the more experimental breweries because their ideas are user submitted, put to a vote and then created.

Third Space Brewing Company: Located in the Menomonee Valley, at 1505 W. St Paul Ave., is this industrial-looking but cozy new brewery. Winner of Wisconsin’s Best New Brewery by RateBeer Best 2017, this brewery keeps a variety of their small-batch craft beers on tap, which range from Scottish rye ales, mocha porters and coffee cream ales to your trendy choice of pale ales and IPAs. This spacious laid-back atmosphere offers a large outdoor space complete with yard games that is dog- and kid-friendly. While they don’t have an in-house menu, there are usually food trucks parked outside on the weekends.

Urban Harvest Brewing Company: Tucked into an old, former theater in Walker’s Point at 1024 S. 5th St. lies the trendy, comfy brewery which offers a impressive variety of small-batch beers, from their golden ale to their cascade IPA. They also offer wine flights for the non-beer consumers. With their exposed brick, large wooden beams and tables, they’ve created a environment that feels bright, spacious and welcoming.

Correction: Story was updated to reflect that Gathering Place Brewing Company now servers eight beers on tap.

7 thoughts on “Guide: City’s 12 Newest Microbreweries”

Eagle park and 1840 aren’t actually breweries. Both have their wort made somewhere else under their supervision. 1840 then ferments in barrels at their facility to finish. Eagle park does everything at someone else’s brewery. I’m not sure the author knew this, the article appears to be written by researching on Google.

SnowBeer, both 1840 and Eagle Park ARE breweries. They both are licensed by the TTB and State DOR as breweries. 1840 uses equipment at off site locations to brew THEIR recipe, then bring the wort back to their place to add the fermenting agent, which by law is the act of brewing. Making wort is NOT brewing. Eagle Park does make small batches of their own beer, but then contract brews larger batches at an offsite facility. They are in fact a brewery…

I often wonder whether this is just a bubble. I suspect only a fraction of these places will be around in five years. For as much as they try to differentiate themselves, it’s mostly the same thing over and over again. Hopefully it’s the better ones that survive. How much craft beer can people reasonably consume, anyway?

Thanks for the article. Looks like MKE is renewing itself. I live in Seattle now and there are 60+ craft breweries in the city limits. It’s amazing to see the patronage to these places – they are always packed.

Eagle park and Enlightened have the same address? 2018 S 1st st? Seems like a typo? Either way, I’m excited to check some of these out when back in WI